Inking mechanism for printing machines



1934 L. H. MORSE INKING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Original Filed Oct. 16, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet l m3 ww wmw QN L. H. MORSE 1,968,850

INKING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Original Filed Oct. 16, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 7, 1934. 1.. H. MORSE INKING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Original Filed Oct. 16, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 g- 1 1.. H. MORSE 1,968,850

INKING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Original Filed 001;. 16, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ness, I avail myself of the shaft 50 on which the plate roller is mounted;that is to say, I provide that shaft with eccentric extensions 73 beyond the supplemental frame, these extensions occupying openings in respective links 70. ingly, the rotation of the shaft 50 does not change the relation of the plate cylinder to the supplemental frame, but does change the relation of the supplemental frame and all parts it carries to the transfer cylinder. A knob 55 on the outer portion of one of the extensions 73 furnishes convenient means for turning the shaft. Suitable means, such as that shown in my copending application heretofore referred to, may be employed to lock the shaft 50 in any selected position.

My preferred form of inking system is best shown in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive. It comprises an inking fountain made by a steel plate carried by the cross bar 45 and a roller 101, which preferably has a substantially unyielding surface or may be of hard rubber. The plate is pressed toward the roller by a series of set screws 102 screwing through the cross bar 45. Adjacent the fountain roller 101 is a ductor roller 104 carried by a rock arm 105 on a rock shaft 106. This ductor roller swings between the fountain roller and a rotary nonshiftable roller 108. This roller may have its shaft loosely mounted in notches in the frame plates so that the roller may be lifted out whenever desired.

The roller 108 coacts with a roller 112 mounted on a shaft 113 which is given a short longitudinal movement to distribute the ink to the form roller 61 with which the roller 112 contacts. The form roller 61 has its shaft 60 loosely occupying open notches in the frame plates.

Riding on the form roller 61 are a pair of idle distributing rolls and 121 which rest by gravity on the form roll. The distributing rolls 120 and 121 are mounted in a cage 123 composed of a pair of end plates and suitable cross rods; and this cage is pivoted to a pair of links 125 by the shaft 126 which is carried by the end plates of the cage 123 equidistant from the rolls 120 and 121, hence the distributing rolls 120 and 121 bear with equal pressure on the form roller 61. The two links 125 are forked at their free ends about bosses on the shaft 103 and extend about the bosses for more than a semi-circumference, and hence are retained thereby, though movable thereon. This construction allows the cage 123 to float, with the two rolls 120 and 121 on top of the form roll 61, maintaining the ink thereon in proper condiion. The whole inking system is normally enclosed by a cover 350 which is pivoted at 351 and may be swung up into approximately vertical position to uncover the inking system whenever desired.

When the machine is to stand idle, the cover 350 is tipped up into its open position, the roller cage 123 swung back ino the opposite direction away from the form roll, and the form roll 61 is swung away from the roll 112. If desired, the roll 108 may be lifted out of the frame and conveniently stored. This leaves all of the remaining rolls, with the exception of the fountain roll, out of contact with anything and enables them to be readily cleaned when the operation again starts. The fountain roll is maintained in position as ink may remain in the fountain; but whenever desired, its shaft 103 may be drawn out and the fountain roll removed for the purposes of cleanmg.

The form of roll 61 is arranged so that it may be quickly moved out of contact with the pattern Accordroll 51. As shown in Fig. 2, the form roll is rotatably mounted on the shaft 60, and is provided with eccentric extensions 130 and 131. The shaft extension 130 is journalled in a bushing 132 carried by a link 133, which is pivoted into the frame plate 40 at 134. The shaft extension 131 is secured to a stub shaft 135, rotatably carried by a link 136, which is pivoted to the frame plate 41, as at 137. The stub shaft 135 extends beyond the link 136 and has secured to its outermost end a knob 138, by means of which the shaft 60 may be rotated by the operator to move the roll to turn the eccentric, thereby moving the roll 61 towards or from the pattern roll.

The form roll 61 is arranged so that it may readily be aligned with the pattern roll 50. As shown in Fig. 2, the end 130 of the form roll shaft 60 is eccentrically journalled in the bushing 132. When it is desired to align the shaft axially relative to the pattern roll, the bushing 132, which is provided with a knurled knob 147, is rotated, thereby swinging the shaft 60 into alignment with the pattern roll, after which a set screw 148, carried by the lever 130, is tightened against the outer periphery of the bushing, looking it against further movement.

The form roll 61 is bodily adjustable toward and away from the pattern roll in such a manner that the adjustment is not altered when the form roll is moved out of contact with the pattern roll, as heretofore described. This adjustment permits contact pressure between the form roll and pattern roll to be regulated, while the movement of the form roll is entirely out of contact with the pattern roll and prevents the distortion of the comparatively soft form roll, due to the pressure between it and the pattern roll during the rest period of such rolls.

The adjustment of the roll 61 is readily accomplished by rotating the ends 130 and 131, of

the form roll shaft, which ends are journalled in the bushings 132 and 136, as heretofore described. As shown in Fig. 2, the knob 132 which is used to rotate the sub-shaft 135 is adjustably secured to the shaft by a set screw 180. Rigidly attached to the knob and encircling the shaft is a disk 181, which, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, is provided with a pair of notches 182 and 183, arranged to receive the pin 146 and act as a detent for the pin in order that the roll may readily be moved into operating contact with the pattern roll, the pin 146 being drawn into the notch 182 by the spring 145, as heretofore described.

When the machine is stopped, the operator turns the knob 130, positioning the pin 146 in the notch 183. In this position, the form roll is separated from the pattern roll. However, when it is desired to change the pressure of the form roll on the pattern roll, the screw 182 is looosened and the knob rotated. In this instance, the knob rotates the disk 101 but has no eifect on either the stub shaft 185 or the form roll shaft 60. The screw is again tightened, locking the knob and stub shaft in their adjusted positions, after which the knob,.together with the stub shaft 131 and the form roll shaft are rotated until the pin 146 seats in the notch 182. This operation due to the changed relationship between the notch and the direction of eccentricity of the shaft 60, positions the form roll toward or away from the pattern roll, depending upon the direction in which the disk was rotated.

The form roll 61 is readily removable from the machine by the withdrawal of the shaft 60, which is normally retained in place by a keeper 140.

The keeper comprises a lever pivoted at 141 to the link 136, and is provided with a nose 142 arranged to be drawn through a slot 143 in the link 136 and into engagement with an annular recess 144 in the stub shaft 135, by a suitable tension spring 145. The spring is arranged to draw the roll 61 into contact with the roll 112, as well as to retain the keeper in an engaged position. One end of the spring is attached to a pin 146 carried by the keeper and the other end is attached to the frame 41.

When the operator desires to stop the machine, it is highly desirable that the rolls 61, 130, 131 and 112 be separated from each other, and I therefore provide means whereby such separation is simultaneously accomplished by the operator. As shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 5, I pivot a pair of levers 150 and 151, on respective frame members 42 and 43.

When the machine is operating the position of these levers is that shown in Fig. 4. However, when the operator desires to separate the rolls. he grasps the upper ends 152 of these levers and draws them rearwardly, causing rollers 153, carried by the levers, to contact with the arms 125 which support the cage 123. The action is such that the arms 125 are rocked about their pivots, causing the cage to be raised. Shortly after the initial contact between the rollers 153 and the arms 125 is made, cam portions 155 of the levers 150 and 151 contact with respective links 133 and 136, which support the form roll. The action is such that the links 133 and 136 are rocked about their pivots, raising the form roll clear of the roll 112.

The operation is such that the arms 125 are raised first from the form roll and then the form roll and arms 125 are raised together at approximately the same speed, causing the separation of both the rolls 120 and 121 from the form roll, as well as the separation of the form roll from the roll 112. 7

When the levers 150 and 151,are in their rearmost positions, the rollers 153 contact with the frames and 41, preventing further rearward movement. The position of the roller 153 is such that the action of the arms 125 thereon is such as will tend to rotate the levers in a clockwise posi tion, retaining their respective rollers in con tact with the frame members, until such time as they are manually thrown forward by the operator.

In operation, the fountain roll 101 is gradually fed by a ratchet mechanism shown in Fig. 4; thus, pivoted on the fountain roll shaft 103 is a lever 160 carrying a pawl 161 adapted to engage a ratchet 162 rigid on the shaft. Adjustably pivoted to the lever 160 is a link 164 connected to a crank 165 on a shaft 166. Each rotation of this shaft may thus feed the fountain roll a selected number of teeth corresponding to the adjustment of the pivot of the link 164 in the slot of the lever 160. The shaft 166 is provided with a gear 167 (Fig. 3) which meshes with a pinion 168 on a shaft 169. This shaft is shown as carrying a gear 1'70, meshing with a gear 171 on the plate cylinder, thus causing the fountain roller to operate in timed relation with the plate cylinder.

The duct or roller may be operated by a cam 172 on the shaft 166 engaging a roller on an arm 173 rigidly carried on the rock shaft 106, to which are secured carrying the duetor roller arms 105. The distributing roller 112 may be reciprocated longitudinally by providing its shaft with a collar 175 (Fig. 2) occupied by a roller 1'76 on a bell crank 177 which is acted on by a crank or eccentric end 178 of the shaft 136. The form roller 61 may be driven by frictional contact with the roll 112 and the plate drum 51. Thus, all of the parts of the inking system are moved in unison with the plate cylinder.

The plate cylinder 51 may carry its plate 190 in any suitable manner. I have indicated the plate anchored at 191 to stationary pins carried in a cleat 192 on the edge of the roller segment, and I have shown a swinging frame 195 carrying pins 196 to engage openings in the other end of the plate, this frame being drawn toward the other set of pins by the tension springs 198.

The transfer cylinder, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, may be formed with stationary pins 201 and movable pins 202 on an arm 203 drawn by a spring 204 similar to the plate cylinder. In this case the pins engage openings in the base portion 205 of the rubber transfer blanket 206, this blanket being preferably a sheet of rubber mounted on a metal base which projects beyond its ends for attachment to the anchoring devices described.

The platen cylinder may be of the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2. As appears in these figures, this cylinder has a segmental portion 31 extending for considerably over half a circumference and having end walls 38 with external hubs 39 bearing on the shaft 30. If desired, the platen cylinder may be provided with suitable paper gripping mechanism, such as is shown in my copending application heretofore mentioned.

I claim:

1. The combination with means for carrying a printing form, of a form roller adapted to engage the form, an inking roller adapted to coact with the form roller and supply ink thereto, a riding roller resting on the form roller, a lever carrying the riding roller, and a manually operable lever adapted in a continuous movement to move the form roller away from the ink supplying roller and to engage said lever to move the riding roller away from the form roller.

2. The combination, with means for carrying the printing form, of a form roller, an ink supply roller engaging the form roller, a distributing roller engaging the form roller, and mechanism operable by a single movement to move the form roll away from the form and from the supply roll, and to move the distributing roll away from the form roll.

3. In an inking system for a printing machine, the combination of a form roll, means for supplying ink thereto, a distributing roll engaging the form roll, a pair of pivoted arms respectively at the ends of the distributing roll and carrying said roll, and means acting on said arms for moving the distributing roll away from the form roll, 143 and means for moving the form roll away from n the ink supply.

LAWRENCE H. MORSE. 

